What doesn't kill you

[Tilly Drage]

The winter break had allowed Tilly to simmer down from last year's drama. She was determined to start her third year fresh and keep her spot on the Quidditch team. Elliot had been very clear that if she got into any more fights, she would play for Hufflepuff no more. So far, she had managed to keep her head down, focus on her classes, and avoid school chatter. She didn't need to feed her reputation (thanks to Seraphina and the Hogwarts Monthly) as a thug. Even more so this year, she buried herself in Quidditch, waking up early every day to slug bludgers on the pitch before breakfast. It was nice on most days to have the pitch to herself.

Today, as usual, she opened the shed and pulled out the box of Quidditch balls. But she wanted more of a challenge. Feeling she was skilled enough, she released not one, but two bludgers. Then she hopped on her broom with bat in hand, chasing after the two on the pitch and hitting the iron balls as hard as she could, pleased when they traveled where she meant them to.

@Flynn North

 

[Flynn North-McGowan]

It would be a lie if Flynn said he had been expecting to get on the team again. But now he had no excuses, he was the starting seeker and would simply need to deal with the pressure which came with it. Though he was still quite worried about things, not all too sure that Lysander had made the right decision in letting him be their starting seeker. Some of those who had tried out seemed to perform just as well as he had, if not better. And yet, his name had appeared on the roster and he still didn't really know what to think of it all and how he was actually going to deal with everything. Which was why he had been planning to try and get in some practice by himself, modified broom in hand as he wandered down to the pitch. But he was not the only one there.

"Isn't it a bad idea to have two bludgers going at once?" He couldn't help but wonder as he watched from the ground. Bludgers were unpredictable and having two of them flying around when you were by yourself was simply a recipe for disaster as far as he was concerned.

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly was in the process of knocking a bludger across the pitch when she heard the voice on the ground. She lowered herself in the air, bat in hand. It was the Gryffindor seeker, Flynn North, someone she’d taken classes with, but never spoken to. “I can put one away if you’re uncomfortable!” she shouted down at him with a friendly wave. She knew she could handle the two bludgers (at least, she thought she could,) but she needed to share the pitch and respect the other people who wanted to use it. That was only fair.

Thanks for your patience with me in posting, IRL has been beating me up

 

[Flynn North-McGowan]

He would have much preferred no one else was here, hating the idea of practicing with anyone else most of the time. Though, he supposed it couldn't really be helped as the pitch was open to anyone and it was rare that no one else was deciding to use it so he could just practice in peace. "I'm not uncomfortable," he was quick to shoot back, not wanting her to think he was a coward or anything, "Just think it's a bad idea." And he would really rather not be practicing with two bludgers flying around and a beater he didn't even know he could trust to protect him properly.

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly smirked at Flynn. He could think it was a bad idea all he wanted, but he really didn’t know what she could manage. Not that she was going to start an argument over it. Her motto this year was to keep her head down and avoid getting kicked off the team at all costs. She wrestled the nearest bludger back into the box, locked it in, and shot back up into the air.

Approaching her now lonely bludger, she slammed it across the pitch, trying to steer clear of the Gryffindor seeker.

 

[Flynn North-McGowan]

Satisfied that one of the bludgers had been put away and wasn't going to try and go after him, Flynn could finally get to his own practice. Swinging his leg over his broom, Flynn kicked off into the sky, starting to just get in some simple laps to try and get back into the swing of things. The break from playing and being able to fly had probably hurt his skill and he wanted to make sure he was back in top form again. Though, he did stop for a moment and watch as Tilly smacked the bludger again now she was back in the air. "If you're going to practice properly, you could at least try to hit them at me," he called out, "Aiming at air is not doing you much good."

 

[Tilly Drage]

Tilly grinned wickedly back at Flynn. “With pleasure!” she shouted. Tilly was more than happy to have someone to try and hit. Since she’d just smacked the bludger across the pitch, she followed it, swinging as hard as she could and whacking it towards the Gryffindor seeker. If he ended up in the Hospital Wing, it was his own fault.

 

[Flynn North-McGowan]

No harm was going to come with a little challenge. Plus, he wanted to get better at dodging bludgers as he knew he was going to be the main target in every single quidditch match. It was important that he could at least stay on his broom. The first bludger was smacked in his direction and Flynn grinned, swerving to the side to avoid it before turning his head to holler over his shoulder, "You're going to have to try better than that, Drage!"

 

[Tilly Drage]

Now Tilly really wished she hadn’t given in and locked away the second bludger. “Don’t let your head get too big, North, or it’ll be an even better target!” she shouted back. While this was good practice, a proper Quidditch game was on a whole different level. Advancing on the bludger again, she knocked it hard towards the Gryffindor seeker.

 

[Flynn North-McGowan]

Flynn just grinned a little, "I don't know what you're talking about! My head is perfectly sized." While he thought that he was a good flyer and quidditch player, he hadn't exactly had any results to prove that yet. He made sure to keep his eye on the bludger the whole time so he could see it coming, ducking his head as once again it was smacked right at him. That one had been a little too close for comfort. "You're getting closer!"